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Pre-op scheme reduces patient stays

A preoperative patient education programme adopted from a leading US hospital has helped to significantly reduce length of patient stay at a nurse-led orthopaedic centre in South London.

Within the first ten months of opening in February 2004, the patient-centred programme – developed by the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York (HSS) – saw the average length of stay reduced from 11 to just six days at the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC), according to a paper published on its progress.

Nurses at the hospital told NT that patient stays had been further reduced since the study was done.

All patients at the SWLEOC attend a pre-assessment session where they are given an information booklet and DVD outlining exactly what will happen.

As soon as a patient is put on the waiting list they are sent a booklet to complete about their home situation so that any potential problems with discharge arrangements can be flagged up by the discharge team before the patient even comes into hospital.

Patients also have an individualised mobilisation plan and attend two physiotherapy sessions daily post-op, the authors said in the Journal of Arthroplasty.

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